East Catholic High School's Newsletter

A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

Spring arrived this week with some lovely, warm temperatures! Believe it or not, the 3rd quarter wraps up on Tuesday, 3/25, and that leaves us with only the 4th quarter left for the 2024-25 school year. Time flies!

Well, Stage East certainly did not disappoint! Shrek, the Musical was a huge hit. Beautiful set design, fun and colorful costumes, wonderful music, and talented singing were all on display for three shows last weekend. Congratulations to everyone involved: cast, crew, pit, parents, and those who helped pull it all together!

The winter season came to a close for almost all of our teams. There are a few runners heading to nationals, and a swimmer who will be competing in the State Open meet. Wishing them good luck in their final competitions for the year. Spring sports are underway, and we are excited to see how those teams will do in the next couple of months.

One of the highlights each year is our KAIROS retreat. Organized by our Campus Ministry office, KAIROS is a student-led, three-day retreat that allows participants to grow closer to God through reflections, student talks, adult talks, and community building. I had the opportunity to go by for lunch and to hear one of the student talks on Thursday. I was so impressed with the care and love that the students were showing to each other. I look forward to hearing how it all went when the students return.

Please be aware of a couple of upcoming, fun events. On Friday, April 4th we will be gathering at Maneely’s in South Windsor for our Spring Fundraising Event, Country Charm. I hope to see a good turnout from our current parents. It is a fun night with great food, a silent auction, a live auction, and dancing. We have some fabulous items to bid on, and you could win $5,200 of groceries from Highland Park Market or a beautiful piece of jewelry from Anderson Jewelers. Another fun item is a “potter’s bench” made from the old bleacher wood that we salvaged in the gym renovation (see below). You can’t win if you don’t play!

The second event (also below) is our annual Tom Malin Golf Invitational, taking place at Blackledge Country Club on Friday, June 13th. It is always a great day, and we hope to see many of you there. Prizes, lunch, dinner, and fun competition are all in store! All proceeds go to our athletic program.

That’s it for now. Please be in touch with questions, comments, concerns, or celebrations!

Peace,

Sean P. Brennan ‘85

Chief Administrator

East Catholic is a busy place! There are new things happening daily with students, staff, and programs. Be sure to follow us on your favorite social media apps for the latest updates!

Facebook: East Catholic High School

Instagram: @eastcatholichighschool

Twitter: @EastCatholicHS

FACS St. Patrick's Day Breakfast

Representatives from East Catholic gathered to support the fundraising efforts of the Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools. Hailey Phillips was selected by FACS as the student speaker for the event, but all students in attendance were asked to come up and say a few words at the podium.

To read all the student essays, click here: FACS St. Patrick Breakfast Program 2025 by Anthony Latella - Flipsnack

Pi Day!

Thank you to the Math Department for hosting their annual Pi Day Celebration on 3.14! The desserts were a delicious treat!

Student Life

UCONN Contemporary Sports Course

On Friday, March 7, Mr. Healey and students from his UConn/ECE Contemporary Issues in Sports Course took a field trip to Mohegan Sun for a behind-the-scenes tour of what goes into the Big East Tournament. The tour was led by Dave Fisher, Director of Operations for the Women’s Big East Basketball Tournament and concluded with the opportunity to stay for a game and participate in an on-court event at halftime!

Thank you to Dave Fisher and the Women’s Big East Basketball Tournament for the experiential learning opportunity!

Junior Class Book Drive

The junior class is collecting used children's books from March 17th until Friday March 28th, for donation to a public elementary school in East Hartford. These students will be able to select a book to take home and keep, something their families often struggle to afford. We are collecting used books, they don't have to be new. They will take everything from baby board books to 5th grade chapter books. There are boxes in the front lobby and the ITC. Please look at home and consider donating a book you don't need for someone else to enjoy!

Fine Arts

Shrek the Musical

What a fun performance by the cast, crew, and pit of Shrek the Musical! The costumes, the sets, and the talent made for an enjoyable show. Thank you to all who attended! Your continued support is so appreciated.

National Anthem at Mohegan Sun

Conducted by Mr. Link, members of ECCE performed a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem at the start of the Class MM Girls Basketball Championship on Sunday. What a special moment for our vocalists!

UNH Jazz Festival

The Jazz Band, Stage Band, and Combo all participated in the University of New Hampshire/Clark Terry Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 15. All three groups played very well and received clinics from the judges after their performances. Outstanding musicianship awards went to Braeden Knotts and Layne Gordon in the Jazz Band, Maher Abunasra and Delia Hernandez in the Stage Band and Michael Machewirth in the Combo. The next performance for these groups is the Night of Jazz Concert on Wednesday, April 2 in the ECHS auditorium at 7:00 PM. We hope to see you there!

Athletics

Class MM Girls Basketball Runner-Up

Congratulations on an incredible season for our girls basketball team! While it didn't finish the way we had hoped, our student-athletes fought hard until the end at Mohegan Sun. With the experience of playing on the big stage under their belts, they're ready to make another "Run to the Sun" next season! Great work, ladies! You should be so proud.

CCC All-Conference

Congratulations to all athletes named to All-Conference Honors!

In addition to the players listed in the last edition of NFTH for girls basketball, boys basketball, girls hockey, and indoor track, we now have the student-athletes for boys hockey.

Owen Lonski, Jameson Fisher, and Evan Westfall.

All-State Winter Athletes

Congratulations to the student-athletes earning All-State Honors!

Boys Swim: Greyson Bordeau

Boys Hockey: Owen Lonski (1st Team), Jameson Fisher (2nd Team)

Girls Hockey: Alivia Roy

Project Purple

On behalf of the Boys Lacrosse Team:

Starting this year, the East Catholic Boys Lacrosse team will be raising money for Project Purple and dedicating our game vs. Suffield HS to honor Coach Bradley Paul.

Bradley was a player, a 2012 graduate of East Catholic High School, and was extremely passionate about the game of lacrosse which he continued to play through college. At the young age of 25, Bradley was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. After his diagnosis, Bradley joined the coaching staff at East Catholic with Coach Bushnell and former assistants Coach Bianchi and Coach McOmber (now coaching at Suffield HS), where he was a vital part of the team's success.

Bradley brought a new perspective to life and the game of lacrosse and taught that to his players, so they could view lacrosse as more than just any old game. He was teaching the ways of the "Medicine Game," and he left a lasting impact on every player who played for him.

Unfortunately, Bradley passed away this past July, but through this game, his spirit will live on.

Please click the link below or scan the QR Code to donate to Project Purple to help fight Pancreatic Cancer.

A donation of $30 will get you an East Catholic Project Purple T-Shirt which we kindly ask you to wear to our game on April 26th.

Donations with a T-Shirt must be in before April 10th or you will not receive your shirt in time for the game. If you have questions about other ways to donate, please reach out to Coach BushnelI personally.

2025 — East Catholic x Project Purple Shirts — Race Roster — Registration, Marketing, Fundraising

SERVPRO Student-Athlete Recognition

The CIAC's SERVPRO Student-Athlete Spotlight this week features CCC All-Conference senior football player Ryan Carroll! Ryan is a Peer Minister at East, an honor roll student, and he's also the All-School President.

Campus Ministry

Kairos

The 29th Kairos Retreat kicked off on Wednesday at Holy Family and concluded Friday at school for a closing ceremony in our auditorium. Started back in 2007, this longstanding retreat is an opportunity for students to deepen their faith, identity, relationships, and connection to God.

March for Life

On March 19th, students participated in the March for Life in Hartford, chaperoned by Father Matt and religion teacher, Mr. Shaffer. The rally began at noon, followed by the March at 1:00pm. It was a beautiful day to join others from around the state in support of this year's theme "Life: Why We March."

Advancement Office

Spring Auction: Country Charm

East Catholic's Annual Spring Auction is back! Join us on Friday, April 4th at Maneeley's in South Windsor for a night of friends, food, and fundraising.

The website is open to purchase event tickets, drawing tickets, sponsorships and ad space and can be accessed here: https://auctria.events/ECHSCountryCharmSpringEvent

To make this night a success, we need your help! Please see below the ways you can be a part of the school's largest fundraiser.

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Scalora, Director of Advancement, at scaloraj@echs.com.

The Tom Malin Eagle Invitational

The 34th Annual Eagle Invitational is back at Blackledge on Friday, June 13th! The website is now live for registration! Please join us as we gather for a day of golf and fundraising for athletics and recognize the numerous contributions of this year's honoree, Chris Malone '78!

Visit the event site here: 2025 ECHS Tom Malin Eagle Golf Invitational

Annual Appeal

East Catholic is thriving as a school community. We continue to send our well-prepared graduates off to excellent colleges and universities, our athletic and arts programs continue to shine, and our community finds strength in each and every member. Our $7,000,000 budget for the coming year includes a $1,000,000 Annual Appeal goal, a threshold we were able to surpass last year. I hope you will join your fellow Eagles in making a gift to our wonderful school!

Donate here: 2024-2025 EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL APPEAL

Admission Office

If you know of a student interested in attending East Catholic High School, please be sure they have experienced our "Eagle for a Day" program and shadowed a current student!

All prospective families and students who have completed the application packet, submitted transcripts from their current school, and taken the Entrance Exam should be hearing from the Admission Department soon!

Please contact Chad Malone '08 (malonc@echs.com) or Abby Diemar '00 (diemara@echs.com) with any questions.

Parents' Association

Monthly Meetings!

Our next Parents' Association Meeting is on Tuesday, April 8th at 6:00pm in the first-floor conference room. Remember, ALL are invited! Come to hear updates on the school, learn about upcoming events, and meet some fellow parents and guardians!

Be a part of the success of the 2024-2025 school year!

For more information on upcoming events and volunteering opportunities, visit

East Catholic High School - Parents Association (echs.com)

Any questions? Email echsPA@echs.com.